Composting toilets?

[Davy J]

Originally Posted by nwdiver

That’s not very respectful…..

I no longer care...........

When it comes to this subject, it's very obvious the people that never leave their dock for more than a few days at a time.

Your options are to find a pump-out station every two weeks, or go offshore and drop your doo-doo out there.

Bagging dried out poop and dropping into a dumpster doesn't sound good, but it's still better than pumping your poop directly into the sea......

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by nwdiver

You mean dehydrate and dump, it takes volume/heat/time to COMPOST human waste………

Exactly. The term "composting head" is inaccurate at best.

The result from these heads is definitely not "compost".

[smj]

Originally Posted by rwidman

Exactly. The term "composting head" is inaccurate at best.



The result from these heads is definitely not "compost".

Same sh!t different day. Don’t they start the composting process which can be completed?

[LifeUnderway]

Originally Posted by Davy J

For those of us who have been here for more than three weeks, the topic comes up about once a month and is becoming tiresome.

But I'll help you out, here you go:

https://www.google.com/search?q=crui...w=1821&bih=833

I know I'm new here, and a woman to boot, but here's an idea: if a topic comes up that you're tired of reading about or simply not interested in, make the choice to not open, read, and respond. It's almost like you're an adult with agency or something. Give it a whirl.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Davy J

Like flies to poop..............
That didn't take long.................

[smj]

Originally Posted by LifeUnderway

I know I'm new here, and a woman to boot, but here's an idea: if a topic comes up that you're tired of reading about or simply not interested in, make the choice to not open, read, and respond. It's almost like you're an adult with agency or something. Give it a whirl.

And here I was thinking it was kind of DavyJ to guide the op to a place where he could get his answers. Silly me........
My question is why did this thread start in the multihull section?

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Maybe it's time to run another survey. I've run two here over the years, each one showing a significant percentage of respondents using composting heads. It's been a few years now. I bet the numbers are even higher now.

Yup. I had a portable toilet on one boat (yuck), and holding tank on others (very nice if well maintained and designed), and was skeptical for dry heads. I knew some people with bad experiences, but it turns out operator and design error was involved. But doesn't that happen with all types?



Then I did the research, did the testing, and I designed a custom version on my F-24. Without reservation, having used good holding tanks systems, it is better than any other solution for that boat, the way we use it, and I would guess many boats and situations. But not every situation.



https://www.practical-sailor.com/sys...siccating-head


If I ever go back to a cruising on a larger boat it will probably have a holding tank. But the determining factors will be my use patterns and the quality of the installation.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by nwdiver

My home has a real composting toilet, the system used on boats does not compost, I can use the product from my home in the vegetable garden, you throw yours in a dumpster. The “composting” toilet for boats is just a convenient way to get around the no dump laws in the USA, I am in Canada and dump away from shore as required.

Do we really have to go over this territory again ? This is where some people would say; go read the old threads. ALL of this has been discussed many times over. It's the same old uninformed yet definite opinions vs actual experience.

The marine versions of these heads are better described as desiccators than composters. Personally, I wish they had been called that, but they do compost if given enough time.

I've been composting for decades. I know a bit about this stuff. There's nothing magical about composting. Time and warmth and the right moisture level is all that is needed.

These "composting" heads begin the process, but it takes time to finish the job -- more time than is typically available. If the head is often in continual use, the later deposits have nowhere near enough time. Of course, if you just use the head periodically throughout a season, it's quite conceivable the material can be composted, or well on its way.

As far as disposing of the end product, some people bag and dump in a dumpster. I've only had to do this a few times over the near-decade of use. Most of the time mine ends up dumped out at sea or on land well away from people. I mostly cruise remotely so it's not a problem, but for those in more densely populated areas, a dumpster is often the only option.

There's nothing illegal or particularly ugly about using a dumpster. Compared to what else ends up in municipal waste systems (soiled diapers, used feminine hygiene products, pet poop of all sorts, etc.) it's pretty benign.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by thinwater

Yup. I had a portable toilet on one boat (yuck), and holding tank on others (very nice if well maintained and designed), and was skeptical for dry heads. I knew some people with bad experiences, but it turns out operator and design error was involved. But doesn't that happen with all types?

Yes indeed. For the record, I switched from a standard marine head with holding tank NOT because I was having troubles with it, but because of the benefits of a composting head. For me these benefits were/are:

• Freedom from having to find a pump out facility every few weeks (I was on the Great Lakes at the time). These days I can stay in small remote anchorages for months at a time without pooping up the area, or having to weigh anchor and head out to sea.
• Huge space savings in my smallish cruising boat. I carry a couple of inflatable kayaks, a headsail, and some tools in the recovered space.
• Simplicity. With a composter, there is are few things that can go wrong. And when they do, it doesn't involve raw liquid sewage!
• Safety. No need for all those holes in your boat.

There's nothing wrong with standard marine heads. If properly installed and maintained they work fine. A composting head is just better -- for smallish boats with small crews.

[Mike OReilly]

For the record, here are links to the two previous polls on marine heads:

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ve-184086.html

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ve-224298.html

I also ran similar polls over at SN and got similar results. One can't make an definitive statements from these polls since the numbers, and the participant selection, is so uncontrolled. But it is interesting.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by rwidman

Exactly. The term "composting head" is inaccurate at best.

The result from these heads is definitely not "compost".

Depends. If you are weekend cruisers, composting will happen. Particularlly up north, you can store it over the winter and by spring, it will typically be fully composted. When used on full time cruisers, the composting will happen but it's unlikely to finish.

Of course, most people don't get them for the purpose of generating garden fertilizer anyway, so it's largely irrelevant.

[pcmm]

Originally Posted by nwdiver

My home has a real composting toilet, the system used on boats does not compost, I can use the product from my home in the vegetable garden, you throw yours in a dumpster. The “composting” toilet for boats is just a convenient way to get around the no dump laws in the USA, I am in Canada and dump away from shore as required.

We're no discharge here in Canada to, so a "composter" is a great alternative to holding tanks.

[sailingunity]

We had one for about 2 years and sold it, for some reason it couldn't handle my family of 7, haha. While we had it, it was nice. It smelled better than I expected it would (that is, the only thing we smelled in the head was the peat moss waiting to be thrown into the toilet.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by sailingunity

We had one for about 2 years and sold it, for some reason it couldn't handle my family of 7, haha. While we had it, it was nice. It smelled better than I expected it would (that is, the only thing we smelled in the head was the peat moss waiting to be thrown into the toilet.

Yup, seven would be pushing things. These heads are definitely not meant for large crew numbers. Two, maybe three adults max. for full time use. Of course, for shorter periods you can get away with more, but that is not what they are designed to do.

[Afrinus]

SMJ, did you sell those other boats with the desiccator installed or did you revert to the holding tank when selling.
Assuming you sold with the dedicating head, did you experience any issues selling a boat?

Pieter

Originally Posted by smj

Bought our first composter in 2006. Since then we have owned 5 other boats and removed the old holding tank system on each and installed a composter. Only way we would go back to the old holding tank system is if regulations dictated it.
The vast majority of those that have composting toilets have also owned a holding tank system.
The vast majority of those that “poo-poo” the idea of a composter, have never owned a composter, so have no experience.